The Resurrected Third
by PaigeyPossum
Summary: She was much more than the Winter Soldier's pet... though that role might have been her favorite. But no one could know that - or else that would give away that she might actually feel something.
1. Chapter 1

It was merely a coincidence that I was named Sephyr. _They_ later told me I resembled a fictional Japanese character by the same name - but only by my striking blonde hair and rose-tinted brown eyes... not so much in my newfound abilities. I also had an older brother and a younger sister, like Sefar - but we will get to that part of the story later.

Subject C4 they called me in the beginning. They had reordered the entire group to make that play on words for nothing more than their own amusement.

There were three groups: A, B, and C. Four children in each group, making twelve in total - an number higher than any of our ages. We were all so small, so fragile - until they changed us.

When they administered the first round of testing. The results were superb, and their delight palpable. Every child looked visibly healthier and stronger - except my sister, B3. I only caught a glimpse of her grasping her head in pain. It saddened my brother an I that she was not in C with us. I couldn't understand the logic in sorting us merely by our hair color - but her hair was classified as brown while we were blonde, and there was no use protesting the placement.

It was only the second round when a disaster occurred. A1, ironically, was the first to go, and it went downhill from there. Half were dead by the end of it. Whether it was their heart or their brain that couldn't handle the power I didn't know - but the screams of one boy as he broke out in unnaturally blue boils were forever imprinted.

I saw my sister carried back alive, but unconscious. My brother in C2 came back again, unscathed, but he looked terribly antsy, eyes darting too and fro, bouncing on his toes. The night before he said he felt more alive than ever before... but I started to wonder if that was a good thing.

It was when C3 came back that I felt true fear for myself. Her skin was pale, but leathery patches covered her calves and neck. Her eyes were no longer doe brown, but a bright red, and her hair smoldered like a freshly put out campfire. When began coughing uncontrollable, I half expected flames to burst forth... but instead she vomited - black liquid and blood.

That's when they opened my cell, dragging me again to the testing room. They strapped me to the chair - a metal clamp to keep my head still, long straps over my chest and hips, and four more to secure my hands and feet in place. They placed the wires, the electrodes... everywhere. And the thin clear tubes in surgically prepared holes into my chest and head.

Then it began. My eyes closed against my will and I could feel my face and body twitching. It hurt - the worst pain I had yet experienced in my short life... thought that may not have been saying much.

And that's when it happened.

Everything turned white.

And then I could hear - I could hear the whispers from two scientist in the back of the room. _The tesseract._ That's what they were so hushed about - that's what flowed through us. They were worried. Worried about the survival of any of us through a third test. Someone was crying in another room. Probably another test subject.

The smell - it was overwhelming. Bacon. That's what the man immediately to my right must have eaten for breakfast - and oh, I wanted some. We were too poor to ever have bought it, but the kids on the rich block raved about the meat. But that wasn't the most noticeable scent. No - not noticeable. It was faint, but it was the one that caught my attention most. The scent of burnt flesh.

I couldn't finish examining these newfound senses because someone started screaming.

Oh. That was me.

There was something inside of me. I could feel it growing. Not something in just the physical sense of the term. There was something else - in every sense of the term.

Then it was black.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When I woke up, I was back in my cell. It smelt terribly. Like rotting and acid.

C3!

I opened my eyes to see the girl's blank eyes staring back at me from the next cell, her body curled in an unnatural position.

"Sephyr!" My brother's voice was raspy but overcome with relief.

"I'm okay," I reassured him, trying to move to sit up. My muscles, my bones. They felt like they were torn apart.

I touched my face to feel dried blood all around my nose and mouth.

"Is- is-" I couldn't finish my question.

"I haven't heard anything yet. She might still be out."

We would just have to wait and hope.

He watched me as I watched C3. "She's been gone for a few hours." He murmured softly. _How long was I out?_

"At least she's not in pain anymore." I could still feel him watching me, concerned. He never liked it when I was sad or scared... he would always try to come up with a distraction.

"Hey, watch this." My brother stood, took a deep breath and than began running in circles around his small cell. And he went faster. And faster.

It should have been a blur. Blue streaks stretched out behind him. He was even beginning to run up the walls. But it wasn't a blur. I could see each and every movement.

He stopped, barely breathing any heavier than before.

"Wow." Is all I said.

"Looks like those experiments _are_ doing something."

"Yeah." I sighed. I wondered if any of us would be alive by the end of it. "They're doing _something_."

I knew this place was evil, but my young mind was just beginning to grasp the reality of it. They told us there was a chance we wouldn't come back alive... but were they truly going to just torture and kill us all?

I later realized that the answer was _no_. They weren't going to torture and then just kill us.

The future was much, _much_ worse.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - My knowledge on the Avengers isn't extensive... I've only watched each movie once (I'll probably watch some of them again when i get to that part of the story). If any of this story diverges from accuracy of the Avenger timeline, characters, etc., please forgive me. If you think I messed up on something important please inform me so I can correct it.

Thanks in advance!

* * *

**Eleven Years Later**

The wine red dress was quite short and low cut, but she was used to it by now. It did the job well because the men loved it. And this particular gentleman was a cookie cutter case.

He was older, slightly out of shape, and shorter that the female in her matching red heels, which made it a little more difficult for her to play the part. But when he grabbed her backside again, she poured her disgust into throwing him a seductuve smirk and led him further down the corridor to a room, previously prepared for such a purpose.

What this man's crimes were against them, she knew not. She just knew he was on the list. There was a name and an address and instructions - so she followed them.

Time was ticking, as she opened the door he violently pushed her against, and then locked it behind them discretely. It was still an empty room to her relief. He pushed her back against the door, his repulsive tongue immediately invading her plush, painted lips. She submitted, realizing that he didn't like when she took control. The female willed it to be over quickly as the ginger's stomach bulged at her abdomen uncomfortably.

A few faked sighs and some subtle posture changes and she was in position. Her eyes slid shut so he wouldn't be startled by their proceeding glow. Sucking at his throat, her canines enlarged, cutting swiftly through his blood vessels and her jaws clamped to crush his esophagus.

The man's body went limp with only an almost inaudible gurgle.

With practiced ease, she quickly slid the bag around him to ensure no blood drops were left on the carpet. Her ears, now pointed and covered lightly in dark fur, perked up at a ruckus in the corridor.

_"Où est cette putain? Tue-la!" _The death call echoed down the corridor.

She hadn't been as slick as she thought, as unbenownst to her, an enemy had been tracking her movements. She hurried now and secured the man's body, taking the bag in her strong jaws and opening the window. Someone was now bodyslamming the door. She dropped out of the second story window landing on all four paws. No longer a young girl to the average onlooker, but rather a black blur of a different creature.

Sirens sounded the streets of Paris, but alas, André Bonjois was dead and the murderer vanished without a trace.

* * *

Back in HYDRA's German facility, C4, as they still called their most loyal asset, rocked in a curled position on the bed. Usually, her other form would keep her warm in the colder nights, but it was currently exhausted from their most recent excursion. The room was small and had a long window overlooking the mountains. Despite its bare and old appearance, the dwelling was a luxury suite in comparison to others which held those like her, as it also contained her own toilet and sink and some small trees and flowers she was able to convince her manager were beneficial to the recuperation of her other self.

The sharp clank of a heavy door opening disrupted the still air. A dull eyed messenger stood in the entrance with little regard to C4's privacy, though it wasn't as if she expected or even realized that she could be treated any differently. In fact, C4 was just glad that her door was so easy to open, due to her hard earned privilege of an unlocked door and an unbarred windows - a privilege she didn't use unless it was necessary.

"Baron Strucker requires you in his office at 7a." The messenger, Johann (yo-han) she recalled, relayed robotically before leaving just as abruptly as he had arrived.

Although such a meeting may have been a cause of anxiety to others, C4 actually looked forward to it. Not only was the Baron quite agreeable towards her, but he always had one thing to ensure a favorable temperament in his favorite asset.

That is, bacon.

* * *

_C4 was only thirteen, but had long since made her first kill and completed many missions. The Baron had been leading her through a market when he got caught in conversation with a high Berlin official. Having finished some twenty minutes later, his anger kindled as he noticed C4 was not in sight – though he almost immediately caught a glimpse of her amidst a throng of people looking through a nearby window. The Baron approached her, but as he opened his mouth to reprimand her, he was struck by the sight of her – wide eyes beginning to glow unnaturally, a small dribble of saliva appearing through her peachy lips. The rebuke left his tongue with hardly any bite, "I did not see you for a moment." She knew it was her responsibility to stay in his line of sight._

_She looked up, the glow abruptly left her eyes and she straightened immediately – the hungry dreaming girl was gone and the soldier had replaced it again. The Baron almost felt a twinge of sadness, but he couldn't have – he was, after all, the infamous Wolfgang von Strucker. "I am so sorry. That was very careless of me." Though she had quite perfected the German language, her Russian accent seeped through when she was not careful. "I was just remembering how we would watch through the windows as the mothers cooked bacon for their families." Her eyes were wistful again momentarily, but then turned fearful as she remembered, "Oh, I am sorry. Karpov said I must not speak of the former days."_

_The Baron grabbed her arm, dragging her with more force than necessary. The girl's mind raced with possibilities of what her soon to be punishment could be. In the Baron's mind a much different scenario was at __play. He pulled her into the butchers shop, finding himself amused when confusion overtook her features. This wasn't for the girl, he reasoned in his mind. He was doing it to satiate his own hunger and to manipulate the asset into submission to himself. It couldn't have been because he pitied the girl, because he couldn't have – he was, after all, the infamous Wolfgang von Strucker. In fact, the last time he deliberately was kind to someone was before the painful, torturous death of his poor mother due to a poisonous gas bomb set by an English secret serviceman. Since she drew her final breath, he felt all good emotions be drained replaced with an endless thirst for something - and thus far that thirst had been quenched with his hunt for supernatural power._

_"How can I help you, sir?" The burly butcher addressed the Baron._

_"A pound of bacon if you would. The best cut."_

_It wasn't until she sat in Von Stucker's office later that morning, sharing a plate of the delicious breakfast meat with the Baron, that she fully comprehended what had occurred._

* * *

C4 licked her fingers of grease as the Baron announced the purpose of the meeting. It had become a silent agreement that no serious discussion would ensue until after the meal was finished, which had become a bimonthly tradition for the past seven years.

"We are leaving for Siberia next week." C4's stomach dropped, but made no protest - she and the Baron may have gained a sort of familiarity with each other, but he was by no means a kindly or unselfish man in any sense of the terms. Regardless, she knew she'd have to face Karpov again eventually.

All these thought were forgotten when the Baron continued with a much more startling revelation.

"They're waking up the Winter Soldier, and you are going to meet him."

* * *

**A/N Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Yay, another one!

* * *

A gold-eyed panther, as black as midnight.

That's what he saw the girl turn into. But he remained emotionless as ever. _Train together. Learn each others strengths and weaknesses. _That was the command consuming the Winter Soldier's mind. His sole objective.

C4 meanwhile pounced at him. The shift was instinctual when the brown-haired man (if you could even call him a human anymore) began to gain an upper hand. His metal arm had been much stronger than she expected, and she struggled against it in her human form, even with her abilities.

It was day three since she arrived in Siberia. The Baron gave her copies of HYDRA records to read on the background of the other asset - perhaps a mistake, as she gained understanding of the workings and thinkings of HYDRA, which, as merely property to the organization, she was somewhat oblivious to.

He grunted as her claws, though not fully extended, caught his shoulder and the force of her lunge caused him to stumble. He angled himself to alleviate the bulk of her weight, but she swung around onto his back, then slammed his knees to throw him further off balance.

He grunted as he tried to grab her off, catching and pulling her tail with his mechanical arm. But the fur was silky and, having master the art of transformation, she retracted her tail into her back end, clinging on more tightly to his shoulders with his claws due to the resulting imbalance. C4 grabbed the front of the Soldier's uniform, flipping over him with a snarl so her momentum drug him to the ground.

He didn't expected it, so he hit his head hard.

* * *

_There was a growl outside the tent, but a large hand covered his mouth before he could scream. His eyes followed the arm to stare wide eyed at the owner beside him. The man was much too large, but he must has been someone close to him because he felt safe with him. Safe. A feeling he wasn't familiar with. He couldn't control his eyes as they shifted back to the zipped entrance, but he could make out the shape of his small body before him._

_He must have been only eight or nine - it explained why the man appeared abnormally large. He couldn't remember being a boy before. Why couldn't he remember?_

* * *

C4 could vaguely see the images projecting from his mind. It must have been a combination of the sound and head trauma that initiated what she immediately realized was a memory, though he may not have understood it. She shifted back into her human form, watching intently as the Soldier face flashed with pain and his eyes held the first emotions she saw - fear, longing, confusion - before quite suddenly becoming expressionless again as he rose to his feet.

"You're dismissed." Karpov broke the silence. The Soldier robotically strode out the exit, and C4 went to leave behind him. "C4, wait." He demanded, halting her midway. Her body filled with dread as she watched her new partner disappear through the doorway and felt the older man approaching her.

His cold fingers caressed her cheek before he pulled her chin to face him. C4 carefully schooled her features to hide her trepidation. "Come see me tonight, 8 o'clock." He spoke softly, but she knew it was an order.

When Karpov released her chin, she knew she could leave and did so quickly. Both relieved of his immediate presence, but plagued in her mind at the thought of the meeting that night.

The two leaders worked closely one with another, and yet their methods were in such stark contrast one with another. Karpov acted as though he had a connection with the young asset, while there was none. Yet the Baron and C4 did develop a familiarity, while in their mannerisms they were yet entirely indifferent one to another.

And so for the first time, C4 allowed herself to feel the disgust and anger that always coursed just under the surface.

* * *

_She was twelve again, laying on Karpov's bed with her upper half nude. His bed was very comfortable, but comfort wasn't a word that came to mind in this situation. It was never pleasurable for her._

* * *

C4 woke up in a cold sweat. It was only later, when she more fully comprehended the concept of intercourse, that she was grateful Karpov never took it further than having her upper half nude.

When he required her presence the previous evening, it was only to give a run down of her next assignment - this time, it was a joint mission with the Winter Soldier. She was surprised that they would risk such an operation, but deducted in her mind that they didn't want to wait very long before wiping the male assets memories again.

* * *

The Winter Soldier's face was cold and hard. It was one thought uninterrupted, _Eliminate Derrick and Jenny Hart. _And they had an address, that was all they needed.

On the other hand, C4 was more relaxed upon leaving HYDRA. They were going to Venice, a place she quite enjoyed but hadn't been to for many years. In fact, this would be her first mission in the city. She pictured going through the markets with the Baron, talking to the people, buying Mediterranean foods she hadn't seen before. He took her on his "business" trip to help her adjust to Italian culture, in preparation of a possible future mission.

Thankfully, Karpov had instructed the Winter Soldier that C4 was in charge.

"We will stop here for the night," C4 had led her partner to an isolated shelter. It was one of her frequented stopping points just inside Italy.

A HYDRA aircraft dropped them off in Austria mere hours before, being unauthorized to fly within the borders of Italy itself. The two assets were hardly fatigued, but it was a necessary stop to ensure an accurate timing and made a plan for the assault.

Being out of the ice for almost a week had taken some effect on the male asset. His head hurt often, like something inside was trying to force its way out. It was worse when there wasn't anything for him to do, like now.

C4 sat on the twin bed watching as the Soldier seemed to snap in and out of reality. His thoughts weren't intense enough for her to see - it was like part of his mind was blank, but walls were waiting to be broken to flood the missing information in. C4 was naturally a curious person. She wondered how she could push the walls to break more quickly. She wondered if it would hurt him.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Sort chapter :-/ Sorry for the long delay in updating. I was moving. Frequent updates are not guaranteed! Sorry!

Please review! *kiss face*

* * *

"C'mon, let's get moving." C4 realized neither of them were going to get any rest sitting there. Deciding they may as well spend their time doing something more productive, she decided to track down the couple before they reached the intended target area - the Hart's hotel room the following night.

C4 and the Soldier found themselves at a large concert hall. Of course, they did not go inside - they did not have the proper attire for that. However, tall paneled windows gave ample view from their position on the roof of a neighboring building. It was just past dusk and the light pouring out of the concert hall held a golden tint. The full length dresses and freshly pressed suits of couples and individuals made it seem like a scene out of an old movie. Not that either of the two assets could relate, not having seen (or at least remember having seen) a movie like that before.

A few moments passed before a faint echo of music caught in the breeze, and their eyes were soon met with the sight of dancing. C4 turned her head as another orchestra caught her attention. Her partner's eyes were glazed over, his mind clearly far from the sight before him. The new music came from his own memory.

_C4 saw a crowd of people. So many people. So many colors. Blue dresses, red dresses. Long hair in curls. Men in suits. Clean shaven men. Perfume. The dresses swished. Low chandeliers. Crystal. Shimmering... But that all disappeared in the background at the sight of one woman. He finally reached her. "May I have this dance?" Brown curls bobbed at her shoulders. Her dark blue dress cut modestly around her neck, but her pearly shoulders were bare. Those eyes, so large. They twinkled. Then her hands were on his shoulders and his hands on her hips. And they swayed to the music. So gently. There was this feeling. They didn't understand it, but he felt it. She looked at him from under her lashes, and then all he could focus on were her rosy lips. They were so close, and she was offering them. He only need to lean in a little..._

C4 was suddenly faced with his gaze. There were so many emotions. Confusion, sadness, longing. But then suddenly he was looking at her. Really looking at her. And his eyes were soft. The weren't dull, or emotionless, or hard. They were soft. And then it was over.

C4 saw the nothingness, the asset, the Soldier in his eyes again. And she didn't like it. She wanted to see the softness again. But why? It didn't matter.

A black limo pulled up to the entrance as two young Americans exited the building. Her black heels brought her to the height of his eyes, but she looked shorter leaning on his arm. Her feet wobbled a little, and he laughed so carefree - grabbing her hip, making her skin tight dress slide up her thigh. They were drunk. _Good. _It would make things easier.

"That's them, we need to move." The Soldier didn't reply. Just followed her obediently, noiselessly.

* * *

"Mrs. Hart," he practically sung the name. "You are the most delicious thing I have ever laid my eyes on." She giggled, backing into their hotel room, leading him by the hand.

She tripped though, again. But he caught her, swinging her around, closing the door by pushing her against it. He double locked it. Derrick always kept her safe. Always. She giggled, again. "Derrick," she whispered so sweetly. "Take me to bed."

He didn't hesitate, but picked her up, snogging her soundly as he himself stumbled around the room. She lost one shoe already, and kicked the other off as he set her on top of the comforter. The shoe flew hitting something in the corner of the room. That's when she let out a quiet shriek.

Derick sobered up immediately at the look on his wife's face, pulling out and aiming his pistol. "Who are you?" He demanded. It wasn't some_thing_ in the corner. It was _someone._

There was no time to reply as the Soldier snuck up from behind and disarmed him.

* * *

_Remember Umbrellas. Every Moment, Oh Love, I miss Everything. Reminiscing Everything. Never forget. I Cannot Ever._

The telegram was quite meaningless, even gibberish, to the common eye. But to C4, it held significance... "We're going to France." The Soldier, as always, stared blankly, but she knew he heard her.


End file.
